Coin-released chair or seat.



R. G. SHELDEN.

COIN RELEASED CHAIR 0R SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. 1914.

1,182,108. Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Fig.1 Fig. 2

Wfinesses Inventor THB COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. C,

R. G. SHELDEN.

COIN RELEASED CHAIR 0R SEAT.

APPLICATION FlLED JULY 11. 1914.

1,182,108, Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0, WA$HINGTON, D. c.

RALPH G.-SHELDE1\T, 0]? ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.

COIN-RELEASED GHAIR'OB. SEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed July 17, 1914. Serial No. 851,623.

7 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, RALPH G. SHELDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ann Arbor, in the county of \Vashtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Released Chairs 'or Seats-of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to coin freed folding chairs, and has for its object to provide certain improvements in the construction and operation of the same, as will be hereinafter more definitely pointed out.

The chair or seat is in appearance, similar to an ordinary folding theater chair or seat with a boxed-in inclosure extending down the center of the back, which contains the working parts of the device. The normal position of the chair or seat is raised, but upon dropping a coin of a certain size into a slot and slightly moving a lever the seat drops to nearly the correct position for use. By pressure, either by sitting or by the hand, the seat is forced farther down to the correct position for use. The lowering of the seat to the correct position for use moves certain other partshereinafter described so that as soon as the party rises from the seat a weight or spring will immediately raise it to the original normal position.

The mechanism for operating the chair or seat is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which p Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view similar to Fig. 2 of the pivotof the seat and its locking and operatingmechanism. Fig, 4 is an enlargedsectional view of the same parts looking in the same direction. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the lower end of the seat and its locking parts.

Similar letters and figures denote corresponding parts in the several views.

In the saiddrawings, the reference numeral F denotes a suitable frame, which incloses the working parts, and supports the chair back B and the seat S, the latter being pivoted on the pin Pin said frame. Also pivoted at l in said frame is'a lever 1 curved at its lower end and adapted when the seat S is in the raised position to engage a shoulder or abutment 12, formed at the lower end offlthe extension S5 of the seat S. A carriage 2, formed of two members connected by cross pins 13 and 14 and disposed upon T of the members of the carriage 2 is a horizontally disposed pin 17 which lies in'the path of movement of the lower end of the lever 1, as shown in Fig. 5.

Pivoted to the extensionS at one side is a rod 7, extending downwardly and toothed at 7 to engage a segmental pinion S, which is in turn fastened to a larger pinion 9, so that the two move together. Said pinion 9 is in mesh with a rack 10 on the lower end of a rod 10 that at its upper end is pivoted to one of the members of the carriage 2. Also pivoted to the lowerend of said carriage at 18 is a rod 19. which carries at its lower end a suitable weight WV.

The lever 1 extends upwardly above and in proximity to the grooved plate 4;, which is in alinement with the coin receiving tube 3, while pivoted at 6 is a lever or shaft 6 that at its lower end is in alinement with the upper end of the lever 1, and at its upper end is engaged by the lower end of a lever 5 pivoted at 5 and projecting at its upper end through a slot in the frame F, said upper end being provided with a suitable hand hold.

In operation, the introduction of a. coin into the coin tube 3 causes said coin to he guided to the plate 1 where it will inter-pose between the lower end of the lever 6 and the upper end of the lever 1, thereby forming a connection between the two. Now, upon a further pull on the lever 5, which will be imparted to the lever 6, the lower end ofthe latter will be moved forward, and, through the coin, will correspondingly move the upper end of the lever 1, and at the same time will move the coin along the groove in said plate 4.- until a hole in the plate is reached through which the coin will drop into a collecting receptacle E. This movement of the coin will move the lower end of the lever rearwardly disengaging said lower end from the shoulder or abutment 12 on the extension S, and said movement will at the same time, through the engagement of the back of said leverl with the pin 17 on the carriage 2 rock the latter upon the pin 14 as a pivot until the smaller pin 13 thereof strikes the back of the slot G in plate F, which move ment is sufficient to disengage the teeth 15 of the carriage 2 from the shoulder or abutment 16 of the extension S. This results in a release of said extension S, and the weight of the seat S will cause the seat to drop approximately two-thirds of the distance toward the open position, this movement being limited by the engagement of the rack 7 on rod7 with the toothed segment 8, said rod 7 being raised with the extension S as the seat drops. Upon pressure now being'applied to the seat S, either by the hand of the occupant or by his occupying the seat, the latter is forced to its lowermost horizontal position, which results in a further lift of the extension S and with it the rod 7, which in turn rotatesthe segments 8 and with it the segment 9. The latter by its engagement withthe rack 10 raises the latter and its lever 10, which being attached at its upper end to the carriage 2 raises the latter, the same following the slot G in the plate F, and, by reason of the weight W attached at 18 to its front lower end, tilting said carriage so that the cross pin 13 thereof can bear against the front of said slot G. This movement of the rod 10 and the carriage 2 is sufficient to cause the teeth 15 of the latter to pass the shoulder or abutment 16 on the extension S, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, said teeth 15 riding past said shoulder and interlocking over the top of the same, in'a manner readily to be understood. This places the parts in such position that upon pressure being relieved from the seat S, by the rising of the occupant,

the weight TV through the carriage 2 upon which it pulls will exert a pull upon the extension S of the seat S, which will cause the latterto immediately resume its vertical or closed position, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this movement of the seat S to closed position, the extension S will ride past the lower end of the lever 1, so that the latter will again assume its initial position in contact with the shoulder or abutment 12 and its extension S, as shown in Figs. 3, at and 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I r 1. The combination with a chair frame, and a seat pivoted therein, of means engaging said seat normally to retain the same in folded position, coin operated means for releasing said seat and permitting a movement thereof by gravity toward the open position, and retracting means brought into operation by the further movement of the seat to its open position, and adapted when said seat is released to raise it to closed position.

2. The combination with a chair frame, and a seat pivoted therein and provided with 'an end extending beyond its pivot, of means engaging said end normally to retain the seat in folded position, coin operated means for releasing said end and permitting a movement of the seat by gravity toward the open position, and retracting means brought into operation by the further movement of the seat to its open position, and adapted when said seat is released'to return it to the closed position. I

3. The combination with a chair frame, and a seat pivoted therein and provided with an end extending beyond its, pivot, of a lever engaging said end normally to retain the seat in folded position,coin operated means whereby said lever may be moved to release said end and permit a movement of the seat by gravity toward the open position, a rod carried and moved by said end, and mechanism operated by said rod as said seat is moved to its open position to engage the seat end and return. it and the seat to folded position when said seat is released. 4:. The combination with a chair frame, and a seat pivoted therein and provided with an end extending beyond its pivot, of alocking lever engagingsaidend, a movable carriage, a slotted plate controlling the movement of said carriage, a weight carried by said'carriage-and adapted to rock the latter to lock with the end of the seat, whereby upon the release of the seat the same will be returned to its folded position.

5. The combination with a chair frame,

and a seat pivoted therein and provided with an end extending beyond'lts pivot, arodchair seat, and a weight pivoted to said carriage and adapted when said chair seat is released to move said carriage and seat, whereby the latter will assume its folded position.

"RALPH G. SHELDEN.

lVitnesses H. H. 131mm, MARY C; BELTZ.

Copies 0! this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. c." 

